1--Field of the Invention
The invention concerns a degreasing device for degreasing pieces, particularly optical fibers of a stripped optical fiber cable.
2--Description of the Prior Art
The optical fibers of an optical fiber cable are covered with grease to protect them from moisture. For operations such as connecting the optical fibers all traces of grease must be removed from the optical fibers to be connected or spliced.
In a first prior art method a piece of cloth or paper impregnated with a solvent such as de-aromatized kerosene or alcohol is wiped over the fibers to be degreased. Although this removes grease in a satisfactory way, this method is feasible only for a small number of optical fibers to be degreased. For cables having several tens of optical fibers the optical fibers must be degreased one by one, after separating each fiber to be degreased from the other fibers, so that the degreasing operation is time-consuming and difficult, and accompanied by the risk of bending the fibers far enough to crack or break them.
A more complex second prior art method entails using an ultrasonic degreasing device or a degreasing device which foams a liquid solvent. These devices are more suitable for cables with several tens of fibers, and can degrease them in about ten minutes. However, both these devices require a source of electrical power and are relatively large and heavy. For this reason, they are both difficult to use on-site.